MIAMI BEACH — On Wednesday, Art Basel Miami Beach's VIP preview day, Lehmann Maupin sales director Carla Camacho took us through her day at the mega-fair while she spoke to early-bird collectors and press. Her schedule didn't leave much breathing room:
9 AM: We meet at the booth with the rest of the staff to make sure everything looks good, that the floors are clean, that the artwork is all in great condition, and we meet about all the sales of work that may have happened in advance of the fair, holds on work, and general interest among our clients. We get an idea of what may be ahead of us and who is going to be the first in line to confirm their reserves.
10 AM: The media preview starts and people begin walking around asking questions. Georgina Adams was one of the first people to come talk to us.
11 AM: The first-choice preview starts. In that moment we are ready to talk to those people who had expressed interest in reserving works and confirming those sales. Then it's fairly steady from 11 until 2.
3 PM: There is another opening of the VIP preview, so there is a whole new group of people who will come in. So from three to nine is generally the busiest in terms of bodies at the fair, so it can be quite hectic. Transactions are happening simultaneously, so we are in constant communication with our colleagues to make sure we don't reserve or sell the same work.
9 PM: At the end of the night we go over the whole day, look at our sales, and plan for the next day. We usually do some re-hangs and adjustments to the booth, switching out works that have sold for works from the same artist, usually of the same series, that we'd like to show clients for the rest of the week.
10 PM: Generally at the end of the day before the opening I don't go to any parties, I just look forward to having a really great meal. I've had a great tradition of going to Scarpetta on Wednesday night and having a really good pasta and wine. I relax and get ready for the next day.
— Carla Camacho, Sales Director, Lehmann Maupin Gallery as told to ARTINFO's Eric Gonon.
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